


Ball Date

by CaptainErica



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Silly Prompt, could have been sillier, draco malfoy has a dilemma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21810442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainErica/pseuds/CaptainErica
Summary: The invitation to the Parkinson Yule ball was mocking him, and Draco Malfoy was not one to take being mocked sitting down. He didn't know what he was going to do, yet, but with a little help from an interfering bartender, he might figure it out.
Relationships: Neville Longbottom & Draco Malfoy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Ball Date

The invitation was mocking him, he could feel it.

The owl had delivered it while he was working, which was extremely aggravating, but then it was likely meant to be; a reminder that _she_ didn’t have to work, that _they_ had lives of leisure.

Draco enjoyed working because he enjoyed having something to do. What annoyed him about the implication of a letter being sent mid-workday was the fact that they likely actually believed that they were better than him. Especially now, especially after everything. But just because _they_ had not personally had their family broken by Voldemort did not make them better than him. It had taken him a while to realize _that_ but he did now.

But still the invitation mocked him.

More now, as he sits at the Leaky Cauldron nursing a 2nd firewhiskey and a multitude of bad ideas, than while he had been at work. More now because, along with the burgeoning feeling of falling into drunkenness, Draco knew the real insult of the invite was the _plus one_ suggestion.

Pansy Parkinson knew full well that Draco was not in any way engaged this holiday season. Nor had he been in any way entrapped, ensnared, or affianced in the past 3 years since he had left Hogwarts for good and also said goodbye to _her_ and anyone his mother tried to push his way since. Pansy Parkinson was intending for him to decline attending so as not to show up alone, and that was…

That was _infuriating_.

Draco orders a 3rd firewhiskey and Hannah Abbot gives him a raised eyebrow look, but simply shakes her head and pours it for him. She was a good person, he knew, and he also knew that she was just as quick to push him a sobering draught instead of the alcohol he wanted if he wasn’t careful; he’d been less than careful here before.

“What is it, then?” She asks when she’s pushed the firewhiskey to him across the counter. She’s got other bartenders on tonight so apparently doesn’t feel the need to go and bother anyone else. “You’ve a long face and defiance in your eyes, Malfoy, out with it, then, or you know that will be your last for the night.”

Draco scowls, but it’s more because he knows he’ll tell her now he’s had a sip of this 3rd drink. “If you _must_ know, Parkinson is having a Yule Ball of sorts, inviting all kinds of people, being utterly disrespectful.”

Hannah makes a soft sound, leaning against the bar, arms crossing. She looks thoughtful, possibly amused, and this is both infuriating and calming. “Ah, yeah, Harry said he got one, found it hilarious, he’s taking Hermione, it seems. I guess it calls for a plus one, ah… is that the dilemma?” She asks, apparently having caught the flicker of annoyance that ran across Draco’s face. She laughs, though not at him it seems, “Damned if you go, damned if you don’t, hm?”

Draco sighs, taking a deep drink of his firewhiskey and setting the glass down. “It’s a test, you know. She’s trying to catch me out.” He doesn’t say that it’s likely to prove that she’s superior, that he should have accepted her as a reasonable person to date or something.

Hannah nods, sage almost, but it’s clear she’s amused. Draco doesn’t take offense to that, though, he’s past that phase in his life and also he’s a little too tipsy and annoyed at _Parkinson_ to really care.

“If I don’t go, then she’ll take it as proof I’ve no one and not consider it the snub it should be considered. If I _do_ go without a date she won’t see it as it is intended but instead use it against me.” He sighs, almost tragic, voice almost a whine, but only almost.

Hannah makes a thoughtful sound. “Why don’t you just bring someone random?” She asks, and he watches as her eyes go distant, clearly looking at someone over his shoulder. “Or…” She trails off and he sees she’s fighting with herself for a moment before she comes to a decision. “Or, you could take someone she would never expect, and therefore upstage her. That’s the goal, hm? Since you’ve no true date, you should go and upstage?”

The question is almost innocent, like she’s trying to understand how he and Parkinson and others like him must think. It’s also a brilliant idea that he’d been wallowing too much to consider on his own. “Of course.” He says, and her face splits into a bright smile.

“I’ve just the person.” She says, and just as she says it, two men come up to the bar beside him, one leaning forward to say hello to Hannah, and the other taking a seat.

Draco very suddenly hopes she doesn’t mean either of _them_ , but then, then that would be a very _good_ idea, wouldn’t it?

“Neville, Ron, think you could maybe offer some advice to Draco?” Hannah asks, and Draco almost scowls, but schools it as well as he can.

The two men turn a little, Neville moving away from the lean he had against the counter to take Draco in beside them.

“I’d hold off on that firewhiskey, mate.” Ron says, first to speak, and Draco’s nose wrinkles without his permission, but he’s cut off before he can retort.

“What’s the issue, then? See if we can help.” Neville says, and Draco turns his attention to him instead.

Weasley hadn’t been particularly _rude_ in what he had said, but now the wheels in Draco’s head were turning and this was going to be a much better idea than he initially had thought. “I need a date to Parkinson’s Yule Ball.” He says, as even as he can manage, trying for that drawl of upper-class unimportance that he was very good at.

Neville and Ron look at each other a moment, making faces that say to Draco that that _did_ sound like a big deal. Hannah nods, and adds: “And we don’t think it should be anyone she would expect, you see.”

Neville nods this time, but it’s clear that Ron is trying to decide who might be expected and who not. It takes a moment for both of them, before Neville grins and turns fully toward Draco. “Well, mate, she’d never expect Ron or I.”

It is, of course, extremely simple, and extremely elegant. The plan, as much as it was one, seemed so obvious and so perfect. The execution of it, of course, was important; which of them would be better?

“But which of you would be the right choice?” Draco’s mouth says with very little permission to do so.

“Well, Harry and Hermione will already be there, so maybe not Ron, sorry, but they might pick up that it’s a ruse, you know?” Hannah says, and Ron, who had almost been offended, calms down with a nod. “But Neville, oh, love that would be very fun, don’t you think? You and Draco walking in together?”

Neville blushes a little at being called _love_ it seems, but Draco ignores it, not finding it important to his cause.

“Oi, but would they even believe it?” Ron asks, and Draco makes a face.

“It wouldn’t matter, the point would be that I did it, not whether or not he and I were actually together.” Draco says.

Neville is quiet a second, then makes a face like he’s summing it up in his head. He takes Draco’s half-empty firewhiskey and drains it before setting the glass down and pushing it toward Hannah. “Yeah, let’s do it.” He says, “I’ll go as your date.”

Draco is annoyed by the familiarity of the drink stealing, but also relieved; this, he thinks, was a _very_ good plan.

~

The Ball, Pansy thinks to herself, was perfectly put together. What was even more perfect, of course, would be calling Draco’s lie out; there was no way he _actually_ had a date. He hadn’t been seen with anyone recently, and he was too proud to just ask someone to come with him, or to back out of coming. It was _perfect._ It was the perfect comeuppance for the brat.

“Pansy, Pansy _look_!” Daphne hisses at her, effectively destroying her concentration.

With a scowl planted firmly on her bright red lips, Pansy turns her head in the direction her friend was indicating only to blink in confusion.

There was Draco Malfoy, walking into _her_ Yule Ball on the arm of _Neville Longbottom._

“Merlin, I never would have thought…” Daphne says, though the look on her face says she possibly _had_ and also that she’s terribly amused either way.

Pansy’s scowl darkens a moment, annoyed and frustrated; he’d bested her _again_ hadn’t he?

She knows he has when he walks past her later on, still beside Longbottom, and gives her a wink. The snake had won this, fair and square.

**Author's Note:**

> I had initially many ideas of who he should ask, but most of them required a much longer fic, and I needed this to be quick and easy so I could get back into the writing groove. I hope you enjoyed!


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